It had been seven years since Aetherion was swallowed by the Earth and taken under Gaia's wing.
Seven years in this hidden sanctuary, yet his body—and spirit—had grown far faster than any mortal child's.
Divine beings or also known as deities aged differently.
While seven years for humans barely edged into adolescence, for Aetherion, it was the equivalent of reaching fourteen in body, intellect, and spiritual resonance.
He stood tall at 6.2ft in his normal form, already surpassing many grown immortal in height, but on the lower side for titan and titaness, his physique lean but clearly muscular— developing the strength of something more than simply human.
And he was still growing.
The sanctuary had become his world. The forests, his allies. The rivers, his mentors. The very soil beneath him whispered with old secrets, and he listened.
Gaia had taught him well.
'I didn't even know how to react when I found out I was reborn into the Greek mythology,'
he mused.
After all, Aetherion was surprised at that time.
because he had heard the names before, Kronos and Rhea, and then it finally clicked, especially when he was taken in by Gaia.
that he was definitely reborn in the Greek myth, and that he was the son of the king of the cosmos, Kronos, and his queen, Rhea, his mother now.
he was definitely surprised and thought that he was born now as the god, like Zeus, hades Poseidon and others.
but then he thought to himself, he had never heard his name, Aetherion, before in the Myth.
It was only after a conversation with Gaia when he was much younger, where she explained that he was not a god.
It was one morning when he was only one year old, Gaia sitting on a smooth stone near the edge of a crystalline lake, while he was cradled on her lap.
"A Titan,"
he had whispered at the time.
"Not a God?"
Gaia had simply smiled.
"You're one of the old Gods, my child. loved by elements of the world."
Then Gaia's amber eyes looked down on his silver one.
"But you, Aetherion are special… instead of grasping your domain, all your domain had spoken and grasp you instead."
The truth shook him. The stars, the moon, the earth itself—they had whispered to him since his birth. He now understood why. They were his domains. Life. Nature. Earth. The Stars. The Moon.
Five domains.
it was abnormal.
normally it took most divine beings decades, some centuries to grasp their domain.
The special one, like Kronos grasp his time domain the moment of birth.
and his mother and her siblings, a couple of months it took them.
He was only beginning to scratch the surface of their power.
From Gaia, he had learned how to coax vines from the soil, how to walk without leaving footprints, and how to control all his domains.
She taught him reverence and control, strength and balance.
But what fascinated him most—what burned in his chest every night—were the Divine Forms.
Aetherion stood, stretching his arms. He summoned a flicker of silver light in his palm—a fragment of moonlight—and condensed it until it resembled a sharp shard of glass.
Then he let it vanish.
"I'm only a Minor God,"
he said aloud, looking at his hand where moonlight was.
"I know my domains. I can use them. But…"
He hadn't yet unlocked a true Divine Form.
He remembered what Gaia told him.
"To be acknowledged as a Major God, Aetherion, you must achieve your Divine Form through at least one domain. Until then, you walk only halfway up the mountain."
And that wasn't all.
He had come to understand the hierarchy of power in this world:
Lesser God—those who hadn't yet awakened to their domains, or who still wandered unsure of what they were meant to control.
Minor God—those who had discovered their domain and had learned to control it, if only partially.
Aetherion was here now.
Major God—the ones who had mastered the Divine Form for at least one domain. A transformation that amplified one's strength fiftyfold.
And then the Greater God—beings who had combined two domains into a single Divine Form. A feat so rare it was said only one had ever accomplished it:
Kronos.
His father.
Aetherion clenched his fists.
He had asked Gaia once,
"If someone enters their Divine Form and the other doesn't… is the fight already lost?"
She had simply laughed.
"Not always. A fool in armor can still be cut down by one who knows how to aim. A Divine Form gives you strength, but it limits versatility. You can only use one domain in full… and a faint whisper of another. Sometimes, not using it keeps you freer."
That had stuck with him.
He was still learning.
Still building.
But he would reach the peak.
One day.
***
Later that afternoon, he walked through the golden meadow near Gaia's palace—if it could be called a palace.
It was more like a living cathedral, made from giant roots and flowering vines.
Gaia sat on a stone, watching the clouds change shape.
"Back from your sulking again?"
she asked without looking at him.
Aetherion sighed.
"Not sulking. Just training."
Gaia arched a brow, grinning.
"Yeah, yeah… you were probably crying under a tree because you still can't achieve a divine form."
He groaned.
"Don't you have godly things to do?"
"I'm Primordial. We don't rush around like deities—we observe the world."
He sat beside her, and for a while, neither of them spoke.
Aetherion closed his eyes, enjoying the silence.
"Cough."
A soft cough sounded, but Aetherion ignored it, pretending he hadn't heard.
"Cough. Cough!"
It came again—louder, more dramatic. Still, he stayed quiet.
But the coughing didn't stop. In fact, it grew more exaggerated by the second.
Finally, fed up, he opened his eyes and turned to Gaia—who wore an innocent smile on her face, as if she hadn't just spent the last minute fake coughing like a dying nymph.
His lips twitched in irritation as he stared at her.
"…What is it?"
His voice dripped with pure annoyance.
Gaia stretched out her hand toward Aetherion and said,
"Chocolate!"
Aetherion let out a quiet sigh. It was his fault that this ancient Primordial had become addicted to the sweet treat.
He remembered those earlier years, when he had nothing to snack on but fruits and whatever nature had to offer.
Of course, everything here tasted divine—literally.
But even so, he had craved something from his old world. Something familiar. Something… sweet.
Then it hit him.
He was the Titan of Life, Earth, and Nature.
Most things that existed in the world came from those roots—and chocolate was no exception.
So he made it.
He remembered it well. His first successful recreation of chocolate.
The taste, the texture—it was perfect. But in a moment of generosity, or perhaps foolishness, he'd shared it with Gaia.
And now, she treated him like her personal chocolate bank.
"No,"
Aetherion said flatly, staring her down with a deadpan expression.
"You've had enough."
"Why?"
she pouted, feigning innocence.
"I haven't even gotten any today."
"What do you mean?"
he shot back.
"I gave you, like, a lot of chocolate a few hours ago!"
Gaia gave him a mischievous smile.
"You expect me to ration divine chocolate?"
"You could at least save some for later… you gluttonous Primordial,"
Aetherion muttered under his breath.
She leaned forward, her amber eyes gleaming playfully.
"What if I give you some me later in return?"
she teased, her voice dipping into flirtation.
Aetherion's cheeks flared gold instantly.
"I refuse,"
he said, looking away.
"Come on, Aetherion!"
she cooed, clearly enjoying his reaction.
"I've taken care of you since you were just a little seedling. Don't I deserve something sweet for all my effort?"
He sighed again, this time more dramatically, trying not to fall for her tone.
But she kept pestering him.
Finally, he gave in and conjured more chocolate into her hands. She squealed in delight, hugging the bundle like a long-lost treasure.
He watched her with a blank stare, internally baffled that someone so ancient and powerful could be reduced to this over… chocolate.
Though to be fair, with his divine energy infused into the earth that made it, even simple chocolate had become something truly divine.
He was glad he never told her what ingredients chocolate was made from—he feared she'd cover the entire earth in chocolate just to feast on it endlessly.
He shook his head, but he was smiling too
.
Despite her endless teasing and shameless displays, she was precious to him. She was his teacher and family. And a friend too.
***
Not long after, Aetherion found himself in the training grove—a clearing of massive stones floating slightly off the ground, suspended by his will.
Here, he trained every day.
Today was no different.
He stood in the center, palms open, breathing deep. The silver energy of the moon filled one hand. The golden flicker of stars filled the other.
"Focus,"
he whispered.
"One step closer."
The stones around him began to rise.
The vines coiled tighter.
The earth pulsed.
He moved—not just with strength, but with intention.
Every motion was a dance between control and power.
And one day, he would master both.